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[tamiam]

OK folks, it's never too early for New Years resolutions.

As we are all slogging through the wind-down of the semester, reaping the results of our decisions made in September, I ask the group:

What will you do differently in the future based on the hassles you've caused yourself this semester?

For myself, I'm going to ignore my department head's advice to make myself inaccessible to students. If they need to communicate with me, they find a way. I may as well make it easy for them. I like the little buggers.

[history grrrl]

I will never again hold office hours at 9 a.m. on a non-teaching day (especially when I'm on campus till 8 p.m. the night before).

I've compiled a ridiculously long list of things to do differently, but this is the one that springs to mind immediately.

Brilliant thread.

[%sig%]

[Mendel]

I will never put off grading lab reports, thinking "I can just hand back two next week".

One batch is bad enough to grade, two- I feel "aaahhh"

And two often becomes three batches....

[once burnt]

Tell the Registrar, "Oh, I'm flexible with my schedule."  I can't WAIT until this semester is over so I don't have days with classes spread out from first thing in the morning to last thing in the evening!

[Ann O'Nymous]

I'll never, ever again assign participation points that are based on the actual individual participation of the student in class discussion.  The students think participation grades are absolutely arbitrary, and I can't stand listening to the D student (who might show up 50% of the time) who argues that he or she not only needs, but DESERVES an A for the participation component!

(I also have decided that I'm not convinced of the virtues of rewarding extroversion.)

[JR]

I will never again ask students for an assessment mid-way through the course and then discuss it WITH THE CLASS.  That was horrible on all sides!  I think that a mid-course assessment can be valuable at times with some classes, but depending on the class, it can also just give them the opportunity to tear apart everything they don't like about the class, and even if you have a valid justification for why you aren't going to change it, that will make them more frustrated because to them it's like, "We told you we don't like that, we don't care why you do it, why aren't you changing it?"  The negative students dominated the discussion while those who were pretty content with the way things were going didn't have much to say, which made for a very tense and contentious discussion.

[Elizabeth]

Thinking that I would get more work done, I scheduled one class for Monday-Wednesday, another for Tuesday-Thursday, and one online.  The effect has been the exact opposite, and I have less time to prepare classes, grade, and write.  I will never do that again!

[mary]

Write everything down that is required of students for assignments and not to trust students to write it down even after I have gone over it three times in class.  After answering the same questions five or six times, I have learned my lesson.

[moose]

Too much democracy in the classroom... I was expecting to work with a class of responsible adults (e.g. ph.d. students), who will make reasonable decisions. Instead, I'm babysitting two biggest whiners I've ever seen - and I can't avoid it because of the original policies of the class.

Also - don't cross-list your course in 8 departments! 8 times the paperwork! 8 different evaluations! Schedule conflicts!
(as far as never doing this again... next semester I'm cross-listed in 6 places... wheww... only 6 :-)

[anon]

I resolve

to cut my grading to a minimum (cut down on written assignments in all my classes) by making most of these assignments things that are done in class as oral reports,
 
to schedule one week toward mid semester when students would appreciate the time and their papers need work for a "reading week" (no class session) in all graduate courses,

to schedule only 4 presentations  (maximum) per week for graduate seminars at the end of the semester,

to institute in all my syllabi a reasonable penalty for late papers and stick to it,

to quit thinking that I have to COVER EVERY SINGLE  aspect of the subject in my undergraduate survey courses,  

to schedule personal time to go for walks next semester,

and

to watch TV occasionally.

Can't think of anything else right now, but this seems a pretty big list.

[%sig%]

[Ms. Collegiality]

It's unbelievable to me that I have chosen four textbooks that are new to me for my four courses next semester.  All of them.  What was I thinking?  Even if I hate all of them, I'm going to stick with at least some of them for the following year.  Now instead of a relaxing break, I'm going to be reading textbooks.  Ugh!

[Tippy]

I will never accept a student that I've never worked with before as an honors student/thesis.

I will never help hire a colleague who reminds me of a character on the Simpsons.

[Anon]

Please, let it be Chief Wiggum.

[anon]

comic book guy?

we have one here.

[E. F.]

This year, I resolve to never forget where I buried the bodies of the students who . . .

Oops, wrong forum!